The Lost Coast and a Redwoods Picnic

6/20/2012 Wednesday

Today we drove about 170 miles and stayed in one spot!  But, the drive was well worth it because of what we saw.

Jen had studied the visitor map and came up with an idea that ended up being the coolest ever.  We took a twisting, turning, 50+ mile drive along "The Lost Coast" area.  The views were breathtaking.  The elevations and hairpin turns were wild!  We live in a most beautiful country.

We were treated to magnificent views of the ocean from the coastal mountains.

We don't have rocky areas along the coast in Florida so this was a treat....

Here is a nice panoramic video showing the area a bit...

After leaving the coast area and heading up into the mountains again we headed east toward the great redwoods again.  We discovered another area along this road that we would not have found along the traditional Avenue of the Giants roadway.  This spot is called Rockefeller Forest.  We pulled off and found a nice spot to have a picnic among the redwoods....

Then we found a spot where Eric and I could try our luck at skipping stones in a mountain stream.  Eric also did some wading.

When Jen asked me if I was ready to leave this spot I responded gently with "No, I want to stay right here for the rest of the afternoon."  Tall trees, warm sunny weather and a cold mountain stream.  We stayed a while longer but then pressed on...

Should we do it?  How much does it cost?  Will the van fit through the tree?  The answers are "Let's check it out," "six dollars," and "yes, barely!" (with the mirrors tucked against the sides of the van)

I even got to grab bigfoot's butt!  Ha Ha!

After our long day touring over the road we drove up to Eureka and had dinner at The Lost Coast Brewery.  The selections of beer there was amazing.  I had a wheat beer and also a stout.  The stout was nice and dark with a really smooth flavor.  Jen had an amber beer and then the wheat.  We have enough leftover food for a nice picnic lunch along the road to Reno today.

On the road again....toward Yellowstone!!